Page 5 of The Dragon in the Corner Office (Monstrous New York #1)
Chapter 5
H er skin is smooth under my fingers and so much warmer than I would have expected. Is that a dragon thing? Is she always this warm?
Why does a flash of her naked in my bed, heated olive skin against mine, pop into my head? Fuck. I should let go, but I don’t want to. Tugging her until our chests brush, I resist the urge to run my fingers up the sides of her neck and squeeze.
She’s infuriating and bossy, all wrapped in one incredibly sexy package.
A package I should not be attracted to, but I clearly am based on the way my cock thickens in my dress pants.
Her nostrils flare and her supple breasts brush against my pecs as her chest heaves. Between the buttons of her silky blue blouse, I catch a glimpse of black lace. “Please unhand me.” The breathy rasp of her voice shoots straight to my groin, but I obey, loosening my grip from her arm. Immediately, she takes a step back, removing her plush curves and intoxicating warmth from my orbit.
“Why are you here, Cyrus?”
I shrug. “If you recall, you did invite me before you stormed out of the office. I wanted to see for myself what this grand project you have planned is. And I didn’t think two women should be wandering this part of the city by themselves.”
Okay, that last part is a lie. Antoinette is a dragon; she’s more than capable of handling herself, but maybe the chivalry will win me some brownie points.
“Excuse me?” Smoke swirls from her nostrils as an invisible breeze ruffles the sleek obsidian strands around her shoulders.
Fuck, guess that was the wrong move.
I pissed off the dragon. Again. “Mr. Wilcox, please explain what my being a woman has to do with my ability to conduct business. Pen and I are perfectly capable of protecting ourselves without a man around. ”
To emphasize her point further, Antoinette extends a hand between us. Except the fingers are now tipped with vicious black claws and iridescent black scales shimmer in the sun as they climb from her fingers up under the sleeve of her blazer. My throat constricts with a gulped swallow. “Okay, point made, Ms. Bauer. You win this round. Shall we continue with your meeting.” Sweeping my hand toward the door, she gives a harsh nod.
“Do not underestimate me, Cyrus.” Her icy tone prickles my skin when she storms past me and into the warehouse. And like the traitor he is, my damn cock twitches in my pants. Fuck.
“ T hank you, Mr. O’Malley. We’ll be in touch within the next few days with an official offer.” Antoinette shakes the older gentleman’s hand before following Penelope out the front door of the warehouse.
He turns to me as I extend a hand. “I owe you an apology,” I say, swallowing my pride, because Antoinette is right. The way I acted earlier was totally unprofessional.
Shaking my hand, he nods, so I continue. “I’m sorry for the way I acted when I first arrived. My colleague tends to bring out the worst in me. I hope I didn’t do anything to jeopardize your relationship with Ms. Bauer. I take complete responsibility for my actions.”
Hopefully, the words are filled with enough conviction to get back in his good graces.
The old man chuckles, flashing me a toothy grin. “Oh, laddie. That woman could tear ya to pieces and spit ya out. It’s not me ya owe an apology to.” With a wink, he saunters out the front door.
Damnit, I know he’s right. Especially after I put my foot in my mouth when she confronted me. I’m not a bad guy, but Antoinette seems to bring out this ultra-competitive side of me, and I don’t like the person I become when she’s around. She clouds my judgment until I do something I regret.
All those years ago, I never meant for her to get fired from Big Apple, but she kept one-upping me until all I could think about were the numbers and winning.
Sighing, I push the door open, bright morning sun spilling through as I step onto the sidewalk. My eyes swing to my truck, the only vehicle parked on this block. “I’m parked across the street,” I announce, Pen and Antoinette both looking up from their phones. “Let me give you a ride back to the office. It’s the least I can do for interrupting your meeting.” My lips curl into a wide, hopefully warm and endearing grin .
Antoinette’s eyes narrow on me, laced with suspicion, before she nods, following me across the street to my blacked-out truck.
“It’s not practical to have a truck this big in the city,” she points out as we pile into the extended cab.
Not wanting to tell her about my personal life, I keep my answer vague. “I need to haul things from time to time.” Truth is, I help Mags on Sundays with house projects, and sometimes that requires a truck.
Clearly not liking my answer, Antoinette huffs and crosses her arms over her chest. The action pushes the swells of her breasts together, a deep valley forming between them visible in the open neckline of her blouse. What I’d give to get my hands on those juicy tits— Nope, not gonna happen. She hates you.
Peeling my tongue off the floor, I focus on the road ahead and getting us safely back to the office. “Look, I’m sorry for my behavior earlier. I’ll admit it was less than professional.” The words taste bitter on my tongue and the leather steering wheel creaks under my tight grip, knuckles turning white.
From the passenger seat, she hums, like she’s deciding whether to boot me out the driver’s side door or not. “I guess I’ll accept your apology. This project could be huge for the company, so I would appreciate your cooperation.” Her tone is clipped, those golden eyes fixed on the passing buildings out her window.
Glancing in the rearview mirror, Penelope’s gaze is glued to her phone.
Clearing my throat, I try to engage Antoinette in conversation. “What’s your plan with the warehouse? I thought York and Big Apple were only interested in downtown properties?”
I’ll admit, this property is further out of the city than I would have chosen, but Antoinette must have an angle. She’s savvy and smart when it comes to commercial real estate.
Her fingers curl around the seatbelt where it lays across her chest, eyes closing on a hum. “They are. I’m hoping to change their minds.”
“How?”She laughs, the sound melodic and soothing. Damn, she has a great laugh. Too bad she uses it so sparingly. “You expect me to spill all my secrets, Mr. Wilcox?” Betraying me, my cock jerks at her use of my formal name again.
“Come on, Antoinette.” My gaze flashes to hers before returning to the city streets ahead. “If we have to work together, a certain amount of trust is required, right?”
“Trust you haven’t earned.”
“ Yet ,” I say, flashing her a wink. I don’t miss the slight flush that creeps across her cheeks before she huffs and turns her attention out the passenger window again, effectively ending our conversation .
The rest of the ride passes in silence. Thankfully, it’s short since traffic moves smoothly.
As soon as I pull into my assigned parking spot in the underground ramp, Antoinette and Penelope are out of the truck like it’s on fire.
Turning off the engine, I run a hand over my chin, the coarse five o’clock shadow rasping against my palm. This is only the first day and we’ve already had two spats. How am I going to survive this indefinitely?